Hold On... Or Let Go Pt. 2

Israel had come to a place where he finally had… to let go.

What was it that he was holding on to? FEAR.

Fear was holding on to him… and in turn… it caused Israel to prolong the season of suffering they found themselves in. He was too afraid to send Benjamin with the other brothers… even though one of the brothers had been left behind in captivity.

But now he was backed against the wall and he had no choice… but to let go.

As he did so… he wasn’t holding on to much hope. Look at his words in Genesis 43:11-14

Genesis 43:11–14 NIV

11 Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift—a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds. 12 Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake. 13 Take your brother also and go back to the man at once. 14 And may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”

Israel was clearly worried, but he realized he had no other choice. So he placed the fate of his son, Benjamin, in the hands of the brothers.

Now… does anyone else see this as a bit… ironic?

Who was it that caused this whole mess to begin with? The brothers! Dad is placing his trust in the guys who created this firestorm to begin with.

He thought an animal had taken the life of Joseph, but we know the brothers sold him into slavery.

The brothers cannot hardly stand to see their father like this… but they have yet to disclose the truth. But the pressure is on… they can feel the weight of their sin creeping up on them.

So the underlying theme that we have been talking about is this: What we hold on to… matters.

The father had been holding on to grief. That grief had created a fear within that was controlling him.

The brothers had been holding on to guilt. And that guilt created a fear within of what might happen to them.

All in all, dad had to learn to let God. He prayed for God to have mercy but he realized he had to let go.

Now… how would the brothers respond as the pressure continued to increase? Dad learned the lesson of letting go… but the brothers would learn a different lesson…

Lesson Two: The Brothers Reaped What They had Sown.

As the story continues, all the brothers are reunited, Joseph's identity remains a mystery, and the men, in their minds, had proven they were not spies to the governor.

So when it came time to depart for the second time, they were given sacks full of grain, their silver was returned once more, AND, Joseph had a silver cup placed in which bag? Benjamin’s bag. He did this to set them up. (We see this in Genesis 44:1-2)

So Joseph sends his steward to stop his brothers and present the accusation.

Now imagine where these brothers were, emotionally speaking, at this point.

They had proven to the “governor” that they were not spies.

They had accomplished them mission they were sent on.

Benjamin was safe.

Simeon had been released and was traveling home with them.

THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE HOME FREE!

But then… here comes the steward. And he comes with accusation. FALSE accusation that is.

Why is it false?

The claim is that they stole the silver cup. But these guys had nothing to do with it. Joseph placed it in the bag… but they were unaware of this reality.

And the brothers offer this assurance:

Genesis 44:9 NIV

9 If any of your servants is found to have it, he will die; and the rest of us will become my lord’s slaves.”

Again… stop and consider the irony here.

Their plan for Joseph following the sharing of the dream was first to kill him.

This plan migrates to selling him as a slave.

While bound in slavery, Joseph is falsely accused of sexual assault and he is sent to prison.

IT IS ALL COMING FULL CIRCLE. And the brothers, in their ignorance of the situation, just made it worse.

They had no idea that they had just condemned the brother they had worked so hard to protect. Per their words, at the discovery of the cup, Benjamin would have to die. AND, the rest of them would become slaves.

Interestingly enough… the Steward “agrees” to the terms… but does he really?

Genesis 44:10 NIV

10 “Very well, then,” he said, “let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it will become my slave; the rest of you will be free from blame.”

The cup is found, and the brothers are taken back to Joseph. Fear has gripped their hearts and Judah tries to explain the situation to Joseph.

And in doing so… pay close attention to the words recorded in Genesis 44:16

Genesis 44:16 NIV

16 “What can we say to my lord?” Judah replied. “What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants’ guilt. We are now my lord’s slaves—we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup.”

Wait a minute… what guilt is Judah talking about? Benjamin knew he didn’t steal the cup… so what “guilt” is Judah confessing of?

I believe the guilt of selling Joseph in the first place. Judah attributes the situation to God… Judah gives God the credit for causing them to come clean.

Then… Judah does something unexpected. HE LETS GO OF GUILT… AND TAKES RESPONSIBILITY for the situation. Judah does something… remarkable. He offers himself in place of Benjamin.

Why is this remarkable? Because it was Judah, in Genesis 37:26-27 that made the suggestion to sell Joseph as a salve.

Genesis 37:26–27 NIV

26 Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.” His brothers agreed.

And now look at his plea in Genesis 44:33

Genesis 44:33 NIV

33 “Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers.

Here’s the deal:

The fact that the brothers were willing to become slaves for Benjamin’s sake proved that their attitude and character had greatly changed since they sold Joseph into slavery.

Judah’s plea for Benjamin was sincere. Their willingness to pay any price to save Benjamin and prevent overwhelming grief to their father showed that the brothers were finally ready to bear the blame for the evil they had done in the past.

God had brought this thing full circle… as only He could have done. The brothers were now reaping what they had sown.

Listen, church, the brothers may have thought they had escaped the “dream” Joseph told them about when they sold him into slavery. But mark my words: THERE IS NO SILVER LINING IN SIN.

Sin will ALWAYS lead to destruction and bondage. ALWAYS. You cannot escape it, you cannot hide from it. All you can do is… call on the name of Jesus to bring forgiveness and redemption.

Sin will always reap the consequence of death. It wants to make you its slave tonight. But Christ gave His life that we might be set free from the oppression of sin and death.

The brothers had to reap what they had sown… but in Christ, we have a different option. We can be set free through grace!

BUT… if we say no to God’s grace, our day of reckoning will come and the full weight of your sin will be realized.

I pray we learn this lesson BEFORE we reap what we sow regarding our sin.

Christ already took on the punishment for those who would call on His name for salvation. We sowed the sin, he reaped our death… and gifted to us eternal life.

BUT we have to leave that life of sin. We have to choose… to change. MORE than change, we have to choose for the old self to be crucified with Christ and to no longer live… and come alive through Christ who now lives within us!

Closing

Two lessons, with answers that both point back to God.

You can NEVER go wrong with God. He will get you through. He is the answer to whatever circumstance you might be facing.

Give Him control or…everything. Trust in Him and He will make you paths straight.